


Superhero AU

by DerpyMcButtface



Category: Eyeshield 21
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4562739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpyMcButtface/pseuds/DerpyMcButtface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bits and pieces from an Eyeshield 21 superhero AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some upheaval amongst the smaller members of KNIGHT, and Takami sends Sena on a mission to talk to a mysterious mercenary named Hiruma.

The two things that fueled the demand for his trade were two things never in short supply amongst the wealthy and the ambitious: greed and vanity.

He didn’t know what drove otherwise-well-adjusted men to send incognito runners to him with queries, promises, and oil drums full of cash. He certainly didn’t know what drove these people, pillars of society above and below ground, to send him little wishes like “the Aurora Star sapphire, it’s currently owned by Mark Ruthaberger,” “the blueprints for the SO-580 stealth drone,” or the little wish he was holding right now: “the contents of safety deposit box 492.”

The bank’s security was top-notch. They really hadn’t left any hold unplugged. He’d admired it for weeks before realizing that it was going to be a very, very dirty job, but a simple one. The vaults were made of metal, after all, and wherever there was metal used, there was practically guaranteed a portion of sweet-natured, solid iron.

Iron listened to Tetsuma. And Tetsuma listened to Kid.

Driving along as far as the night stretched, the cool breeze swept across his face. The IR and D-motion scans on the dashboard revealed no pursuers in their direction. The engine made a barely-audible hum, easily lost in the white noise of life, and the path, away from the freeways and busy roads, was free of obstruction. It was almost meditative. Despite his own senses fully open, prickled to the slightest hint of danger, he allowed himself to enjoy the fresh rush of adrenaline as they raced along in the darkness, heading past the freeways, past broken neon lights and streetlamps, to the far outskirts of the city.

Their job was done.

* * *

  
_Bing._

_Eyeshield, report to base._

_Bing._

_Eyeshield, report to base._

Sena jolted awake, the top of his hair piercing through the holographic screen in front of him. A tinny, robotic voice informed him, “You have, an appointment. With, Takami. In, forty minutes.”

Blearily, he jerked a finger up to swipe to the information screen. Another notification, this time for  video memo, slid into view.

A familiar face appeared below the blue KNIGHTS logo. “Hey, Sena. When you get back, stop by our area, first. I want to talk to you ASAP.”

Sena peered at the white-haired boy’s image on the screen, then shook his head and tapped out a text reply:  _sry riku takami called me up but ill finish and see u asap ok ^^” Q_Q_

His first task of the day finished, Sena yawned, fighting the temptation to pull five more minutes under the blanket.

It was going to be a busy day.

* * *

The CHIBI team’s equipment room was in the hallway next to the elevator. Remembering Riku’s message, Sena peered down the hallway, trying to make sure that the other boy was nowhere in sight before tiptoeing in.

“Hey Sennnnna!” The entire hall suddenly exploded in fireworks.

“Errggaad-“

“Sena! Sena! Hey, guess what!” The fifth member of CHIBI hurtled down the hallway on her rollerblades in bubbly violation of at least three safety measures for the building.

“Uh- yeah- Hi, Suzuna- ouch, ouch-“ Sena winced as a wreath of grape-sized lights burst near his head. ‘Control’ was something that Suzuna had never been good at, and now with her cheeks flushed and her messy hair trembling from excitement, lights popped and fizzled in the air like bubbles.

“I’m so excited!”

“What?”

“Guess who’s on patrol with you and Mon-Mon tomorrow?”

“Uh- Riku, like always-“

“No! Me!” At the last word, Suzuna spread her hands, hashing out another set of fireworks into the air.

Sena ducked quickly and covered his ears. “Huh? Wait, you’re not even on the active squad-“

Suzuna whirled around, her arms crossed. “Yes, I am.”

“Since when?” he exclaimed.

“Since yesterday, actually,” she said proudly. “Takami said so-“

“What? Wait, how?”

“I’m replacing Riku-Riku for a while,” she bragged. “I’m first-string now!”

“What?”

“See you! I’m gonna tell Mamo-ne the news!” she exclaimed, shooting past him and into the lift. “Bye, Sena!”

The last remaining bubble in the air popped, leaving his ears ringing. Sena stared at the elevator doors where she had disappeared in confusion.  _Replacing… Riku?_

As if waiting for the sudden silence, the door to the equipment room slid open, revealing a half-shadowed face in the entryway. “Sena?”

Sena froze. “Yes?” he called out hesitantly.

Riku swung the door all the way open. His bandolier, empty of its usual assorted kunai, clattered against the doorframe. “You’re here. Can you come in?” he asked.

“Uh- sorry, I have to meet with Takami-“ Sena sighed as Riku ignored his protests and disappeared back from the door. “…Okay.”

Riku kept the lights dim and the air cool in the locker room, and Sena had to wait for his eyes to adjust before he could see the booth seats and the equipment lockers along the walls. He blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness, as Riku took a seat around a low, circular coffee table.

There was a short silence as the other boy chose his words. “…You heard what Suzuna said,” Riku said dully, folding his fingers together.

“Riku, what’s going on?” Sena asked pleadingly.

“…It’s temporary. Just for two periods,” he said. “I need to sort something out- Well, to tell you the truth, I’m on probation again.” The white-haired boy pursed his lips and looked defiantly at Sena, as if daring him to scoff.

“Riku… What did you do?”

“Was chasing the Gecko down the other day. I got close- I was about to engage but Takami called me off.”

“Eh- why?” Sena asked.

“Too close to civilians. But it was borderline. I knew what I was doing,” he added defensively.

“…You can’t go doing stuff like that…” Sena said weakly, trying to keep his voice as non-chastising as possible. “It’s dangerous… You could get other people hurt too, you know-“

“I know,” Riku snapped, and Sena recoiled from the sharp tone. “Look, I know,” he repeated in a softer voice. “I’m doing what I can to reduce the probation, but… Well, I wanted to let you, Monta, and Komusubi know first. All right? In the mean time, just go on like normal. Give the reports a run by me first… If you run into any issues on the field, you can call me.”

Sena nodded, trying to decide whether or not to mention that he, not Riku, who was the leader of the squad. But he was saved from having to mention that uncomfortable fact when his wrist pager gave an angry chirp.

The small screen displayed a single text from Takami: Sena: our appointment?

“Okay- uh, sorry, Riku, I really have to go-“ Sena got up quickly and reached for his bag.

“All right. I’ll see you later, Sena…” Riku said, looking off somewhere on the wall behind him.

“…Sorry to hear about… It.. Stuff. Everything.” As he left for the bright hallway, Sena ducked his head to prevent Riku from seeing the look of sympathy on his face, but some of it must have shown in his voice, as the other boy didn’t respond.

* * *

The facilities got nicer and more quiet the further up in the building he went, all the way to the senior leads’ offices near the top. Sena sprinted by nameplates and doors until he reached a familiar one marked #3.

“Come in,” the speaker on the side of the doorframe commanded, as the door itself slid open with a hiss.

Takami was at his desk, as usual. The dark-haired man had several holographic screens floating in front of him. One hand dragged spreadsheets and documents about the screens, while the other hand fidgeted with his superpower, sending a hacky sack circling lazily as the force of gravity around it changed direction.

Sena stood anxiously still, waiting for the older man to notice him. Finally, Takami closed the holograms and settled his hands on the desk in front of him.

“Late again?”

Sena looked guiltily to the side as he approached. “Uh… I.. Got lost,” he lied weakly.

Takami’s sharp eyes unfocused momentarily as he read off a hologram on the surface of his glasses. “Your logged information says that you “got lost” in your equipment room for ten minutes, with Kaitani…” he stated blandly.

“Uh- …Well…” Sena swallowed, trying to come up for an excuse for himself as well as his friend.

But the older man simply shook his head. “I don’t understand how you keep forgetting that you’re the group leader, not him.”

“Oh- uh, it’s my fault, I-“

“I’ll leave it for now. But sit down, Eyeshield… Let me pull up a file- arg!” He reached for a small control pad embedded in his desk, only to have it spit out a puff of angry sparks. “Okay… Oh, don’t worry, Shin was in here the other day, he must have tried to use my projector,” Takami explained.

Sena perked up at the mention of the other man. “S-Shin- is he in?”

Takami shook his head. “No, he’s out on business.”

“Oh… I see… When will he be back?”

“Classified.” Takami pushed his glasses up and gave Sena a patronizing smile. “Soon, hopefully, knowing him.”

Sena nodded.

“Returning to our point.” Takami pointed to the screen again. He slid his finger across the air, and the images switched to two data sheets, which he unlocked with a flick of his wrist.

Two grainy photos bloomed into view above his desk: on the right, a severe-faced man with heavy eyebrows and a downturned, stern mouth, and on the left, a grainy shot of a shaggy, unkempt man.

“A pair of new hostiles. They’ve only recently appeared. KNIGHT has engaged them, once. Shin, Otowara, and me.” Takami pursed his lips and added, “We only made it out alive from sheer luck.”

After taking a moment to process the statement, Sena shook his head vigorously in disbelief. How could they have lost with Shin? Shin was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect soldier. Shin had, for all intent and purposes, perfect strength, perfect speed, perfect- well, perfect everything. If KNIGHT had Shin, KNIGHT could never have lost- “No way-“

Takami wasn’t at all willing to linger on his defeat, however. He coughed, irritated, and pointed to the short paragraph below the header. “My summary. We don’t have much information, so go ahead and read it now.”

 

> _U0007 and U0015. U0007 is appears to be leader, top expert skill level in unknown firearms. Abnormally low IR signature. U0015 (Possibly called “Tetsuma”) appears to have non-contact control over metal, confirmed within ~5m proximity. Mainly uses it for physical combat, but able to destroy equipment remotely. See report 07018 for initial engagement._

“…All right,” Sena said after a few minutes. Maybe it was Takami’s dry writing, but the pair didn’t seem like anything special. But if the two of them had managed to hold off the combined force of KNIGHT’s best three… “Number Seven… Does he have any…?”

“Any special abilities? I have a few guesses, but none I’m certain of enough to tell you.”

“Uh- w-wait, Takami.” Sena gulped dryly. “The reason you’re showing t-this info- it’s not my next j-job is it?”

“Oh, no!” Takami exclaimed. “Ha… Ha… Ha… Sending you, Eyeshield… When even Shin couldn’t catch them?”

“T-That’s not what I meant-“ he protested.

“The idea of it… Ha… Ha…” Takami gave another dry laugh before continuing. “No, but there is something you can do that Shin can’t…”

Sena flushed. “N-No, there’s not. Shin can- I mean, there’s nothing I can do that Shin doesn’t do better-“

“Shin can’t talk to Hiruma, can he?”

The name hit him like a kick behind the knees. “H-Hiruma?!”

Takami steepled his fingers. “This is your next job. We need information on those two, and I believe that Hiruma might just have it… I’m afraid the only one in this organization on speaking terms with him is you.”

Sena drew a shaky breath. “Uh- I don’t know, last time he seemed kinda annoyed at me-“ he protested shakily, the slow creep of dread dripping down over him.

“I wouldn’t look to that man for help if I had any other way,” Takami replied.

“I- I don’t know.”

“Just… See what you can do,” he said. “…Please.”

Sena nodded, trying to swallow. “I’ll.. try.”

Before the door closed, he heard, quietly, Takami’s voice from the room. “…Good luck, Sena.”

 

* * *

_Trivia_

  * Riku doesn’t get along with Suzuna because, as a cat he has very sensitive vision and hearing. Sudden bright lights and loud noises are a no-no for him, and considering that’s her superpower, he would rather not work with her.
  * Sena’s eyeshield is actually there for practical purpose. At the speeds he runs, things hitting his face or exposed skin would hurt.
  * Hiruma doesn’t have superpowers, unless you count his genius.
  * Yes, Kid does have superpowers, for example the ability to eat day-old burritos without any ill effects.




	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco meets Gaou. It's science, as in things never turn out as you planned.

“My father said that you have something for me,” Marco said, sipping espresso out of a tiny white mug. The rest of the matched ceramic set was laid out in front of him on a stainless steel table, to match the sleek, sterile observation deck. Before him, a two-foot-thick Plexiglass window stretched along the length of the wall, looking out onto the laboratory below.

“The gift your father ordered for you is done. I want to show you.” Dr. Salvatore motioned to the scene below. A yellow alert light flashed on and off at a circular door behind a steel enclosure. Faintly, Marco could hear the hustle and the shouts from the technicians below, but he paid no attention to it- the door was opening. Despite the flashing lights and the guards circling about with stunners, nothing happened. The scene before him continued on like a circus without an audience.

There should have been a roar. There should have been ominous thumping in the background. There should have at least been a timpani build-up, as Dr. Salvatore’s creation appeared in the doorway.

Marco put down his coffee and rose to get a better view. “Gaou,” he breathed.

It was a man, or at least it was man-shaped. Gaou was massive, at least seven feet tall and more than half as wide at the shoulders, with limbs like tree trunks. His hair was uncut and shaggy, and patches of leathery scales, like a crocodile’s hide, covered his bare back and the top surfaces of his limbs. But most noticeable, especially from the distance, was his posture: hunched and rounded, with his neck held low on his shoulders, he seemed to be sort of monster on the prowl.

Dr. Salvatore nodded. “Yes. He actually completed growth last year. But we wanted to do stability testing on him first. To make sure all his systems stayed in place.”

“Magnificent…”

The scientist rapped his knuckles against the table, as if to get the young man’s attention. “But understand. He is a long-term trial run. I have several points of concern. We overdeveloped his cardiovascular system to support his other systems. In doing so we might have magnified any pre-existing flaws or weak points. He is at risk for arterial aneurysms. His tendons are not always able to keep up with the strength of his muscles. They tear when overexerted. We’ve tried to expose him to a variety of pathogens, but his immune system has never experienced the environment outside this lab.”

“But despite this, you believe he’s ready for use?” Marco asked, eyeing the creature.

“Yes. There’s nothing more we can do.” Dr. Salvatore stared almost dreamily out the window. “Your father’s specifications were fulfilled. No doubt that there is much room for improvement on the next one, but I consider this a job well done.”

Marco didn’t take his eyes off of the figure of Gaou pacing in the enclosure. “I would like to see him up close,” he said, his breath fogging the glass in front of him.

“One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Understand that although his body is grown… He’s only two years old. Please be patient with him.”

* * *

Gaou was impressive from a distance, but up close, he was terrifying. Whatever his form, his size denied any image of humanity for the man. Compounded by the stretches of armor-like hide on his body, he seemed closer to a wild beast prowling about than a person. But his face had intelligence- human intelligence, and he didn’t sniff or wander about the enclosure- the creature was thinking.

Marco stepped up to the metal bars and cleared his throat. “Gaou.”

Gaou ignored him.

“Gaou, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Marco.”

The dinosaur-like man walked to the opposite corner of the enclosure.

Marco raised his voice. “Gaou,” he repeated. “Gaou, I’m over here-“

“No.”

Marco stopped, his words faltering in his throat. “…No?”

“No. You’re boring. Bye.” Gaou walked away, stared at the closed door for a while, and walked off again, picking his nose.

_He’s the pinnacle of our research and development, the result of cutting-edge technology and research… I don’t entirely believe that this is happening._  “…Uh…”

Beside him, Dr. Salvatore sighed. “I told you, no matter what he looks like, he’s only two years old…”

“To be honest, doctor, I don’t know what a two-year-old is like,” Marco grumbled.

“He doesn’t like sharing. He doesn’t go to sleep without a fight. If he’s curious about something, you can’t stop him, and if you do, he throws a tantrum.”

The young man scoffed. “What? That’s just like a child!”

Dr. Salvatore gave him an exasperated look. “That’s what I’ve been saying. A two-year-old child.”

“Gaou!” Marco barked. “Gaou, come here. Look at me,” he ordered.

Gaou tossed his head and growled, nose wrinkling in irritation. “You smell!” he shouted back, and returned to pawing at the closed entry port. “I want to go home!”

Marco took several minutes to process what he had just experienced, before letting out a low groan. “Dear God… How am I supposed to work with… This…”

“I’m a biochemist, not a child psychologist,” Dr. Salvatore said mildly. “Mr. Marco… I wish you the best of luck."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Musashi stays up late at the bar, waiting for his usual visitor.

It was three in the morning. Musashi cracked three eggs into a bowl and began whipping them into a froth with a pair of chopsticks. Beside him, a bowl of old fried rice turned slowly in the microwave. He had known the clicking of plastic on plastic and the grumbling of appliances around him for as long as he could draw memory. Outside the fluorescent brightness of the kitchen, the building was dark, and a battered “CLOSED” sign hung in the front of the door. The bar had closed an hour ago, but it had been a quiet night and cleanup only took fifteen minutes.

 

He should have been off to bed, but there was one last customer to wait for.

 

The side door next to the bar rattled, and the eerie sound of its metal bottom scraping against the cement floor announced his visitor. “Hungry?” the bartender asked, not looking up.

 

There was the clatter of metal thrown on the ground, and then a thump as an overstuffed duffel followed. One of the bar stools clattered as it was pulled out, and finally, another thump and the hiss of air from the plastic cushion as the other man sat down.

 

“Tch.”

 

“I guess that’s a yes.” Musashi poured the beaten eggs into a frying pan and turned it about, coating the surface in light yellow foam. While it set, he mounded the tomato fried rice into a bowl and shoved a small cup of hayashi stock cubes into the microwave. When the timer beeped, he quickly folded the egg out of the pan and over the rice, and poured the rich brown sauce over all of it, adding a few jerks of Pure Death Hot Sauce from a grimy bottle. The dish finished, he slid it, steaming, over the bar, and sat down behind the counter.

 

Hiruma grabbed a knife from the holder and began eating, not bothering to search around for a fork. He ate ravenously, chunks of egg disappearing down his throat faster than he could bring them to his mouth. The mercenary was looking all the worse for wear today, with his blonde hair dangling out from its usual spikes, and a half-scabbed graze along his jaw and down his arm. His black cargo vest bore similar injuries down its side as well. All his attention on the homecooked food in front of him, he didn’t speak, so Musashi lit up a cigarette and sat back with a sigh.

 

Finally, Hiruma pushed his empty plate away and hiccupped. “…Hit the spot,” he grunted, eyes closed.

 

“Mmm.”

 

They sat staring at the ceiling for a while, as the fans chuffed away at the ventilation gores.

 

“Long day,” Musashi grunted. He reached to the rusty fridge behind him and pulled out a half-full glass mason jar. The sharpie-on-duct-tape label had been rubbed off, but Musashi expertly poured its amber contents into two shotglasses and passed one to Hiruma. He lifted his own glass in a toast to nothing in particular, and tipped it back. The alcohol didn’t have a burn but an entire conflagration, but when his eyes stopped watering, he found himself imagining that it would go very well with grapefruit juice, or maybe cut with some beer and served with espresso.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Hiruma demanded, after his hands stopped shaking.

 

Musashi shrugged, wiping his face with a hand towel. He gathered Hiruma’s dish and the dirty bowls from the kitchen, and began sponging them in the sink. “Dunno, got it from a customer. ‘S scrumble. He said it’s made from apples. Mostly apples.”

 

Hiruma nodded. “Get me a quart next time you see him…” His sharp eyes glinted as he asked pointedly, “How’s business today?”

 

Musashi shrugged, again. “Quiet. People outta town.”

 

The blonde persisted. “Saw the Ha-Ha Company stop by,” he prompted.

 

“Yeah, they did,” Musashi said, figuring that there was no harm in affirmation, especially if Hiruma already knew.

 

“Loud guys… They talk a lot?”

 

He scowled. “Always leavin’ the place a mess. I charged them for compensation when that Kuroki guy turned my doorframe into a baseball bat...”

 

“Yeah…?”

 

Musashi gave Hiruma  a steely look. “Anything that’s told to me personally, I’m not gonna tell you, you know.”

 

Hiruma just laughed.

 

“But hey. …Couple of new guys, though,” Musashi mentioned.

 

“Hmm?” Hiruma tilted his head coyly.

 

“Some kind of cowboy in a poncho. Came in with a buddy, didn’t catch his name, though.”

 

“Why was he here?”

 

Musashi shrugged. “No clue. Said he didn’t drink, just ordered a glass of lukewarm water. Funny, because he was the one who sold me the scrumble.”

 

Hiruma leaned back and began cleaning off one of his guns. “Here to cause trouble?”

 

“Doubt it. He seemed pretty professional.”

 

“Professional trouble?”

 

“Don’t know.” Musashi paused before adding, “I hope not. I like him. Hope he drops around more.”

 

Hiruma only cackled.

 

Musashi got up with a tired groan and stretched, listening to the popping of his back. “Early start tomorrow. I’m heading off,” he said, draping the dishtowel over his shoulders. “Lock the place down before you go.”

 

Hiruma nodded, still polishing a barrel.

 

As he unlocked the door to the stairwell, Musashi glanced back over. Hiruma was still there, in the spotlight of a single hanging lamp. His blonde hair was haloed, warm against the cool gray darkness of the rest of the room. Musashi never knew if Hiruma was going to join him upstairs later, or if he’d come down in the morning to find the bar locked and deserted in the wake of the mercenary. But that was Hiruma, he figured, and that was that.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another theft from a high-security storage site, Takami sends Sena to ask Hiruma for any help he can get.

In the floodlights and whistles and beeping of the investigation around him, Takami knelt down at the base of the hole in the ground. He traced a fingertip along the cement dust covering the rubble

“Visual examination,” he said into his mouthpiece, “Via augmented lens and naked eye lead me to believe that the ground was opened up from the inside to allow the suspects access to the vault.”

Beside him, Sakuraba stood in silence, no doubt thinking about the stolen computer being shuttled away in the night, even as Shin was searching for trails in the city.

Takami turned to the other man and shook his head. “But there’s something I don’t understand. You reported that you, Kanzaki, and Itadaki encountered the suspects along the west entrance, as they were coming out of the courtyard. They were extremely destructive in making their way in, which is what raised the alarm… But they used a different way to get out.”

“Yes,” the other man said dully.

“I don’t know if…” Takami tapped at his wristband, pulling up a small holographic display. “New request. I need all the security footage available, from everywhere in the building,” he said aloud, and tapped ‘Send’ button after the program was done transcribing.

Sakuraba shook his head, wincing as it jarred his splinted shoulder. “Twice in ten days…”

“This can’t go on.” Takami stood up and looked around to where the emergency crews “Oh. No, Sakuraba, I meant- I didn’t mean you…”

“But you’d be right…”

The KNIGHT leader turned around to face Sakuraba. “No, but that's to be expected-“ he began, before realizing that he was saying the exact wrong thing at the worst time.

Sakuraba’s working shoulder slumped. “I’m just not really useful on the field…”

Takami opened his mouth to protest, but closed it, figuring that it would be better to use the crucial eight-hour window of time after a crime to work on catching the perpetrators instead of trying to psychoanalyze his teammate. “Hmm… Sakuraba. I need to see what happened, from your point of view. Can you go to Starbucks and steal their Wi-Fi to load the footage from your body cam to the cloud?”

“Yes… I’ll go do that.”

“Thank you.” As the blonde’s footsteps tapered off into the distance, Takami inhaled deeply and looked at the warehouse entrance in front of him. Five yards underneath the cement floor were the previously-secure data rooms, where just three hours ago, an entire computer was bodily lifted up and carried off into the night.

“Message to Eyeshield. Sena, report to me right now,” he said, tapping a button on the side of his glasses. The message had barely beeped away before the air suddenly pressed in on him, displaced by a rapidly approaching figure.

“Takami, I got your message!” Sena blurted right away.

“Sena.” Takami looked him and waited.

“Y-Yes?”

“Have you heard anything from him?” Takami asked quietly.

Sena paused, looking away guiltily. “Well… I haven’t really… Found him. Not really.”

“You haven’t.”

“I-I’ll keep trying. It’s just that-“

“Sena, how long do you think we can keep letting them get away?”

The boy looked down at the ground, swallowing hard. “I don’t know…”

“I think you do know,” he said sternly. “We can’t.”

Sena stared at his feet. “S-Sorry-“

“We don’t need ‘sorry,’ we need information. Shin needs that information.” Takami gave him a short nod and turned around, not meeting his subordinate’s eyes as he walked away.

 

* * *

 

 Sena stared up the grimy cement wall of the run-down apartment. It was just one of the many the half-buildings falling apart on the east side of the city, where the sewers full of garbage waited for the rain to wash it to sea. All around, fallen electric poles had long been picked clean of any scrap metal. He slid his hand behind the metal grating over the front of the building to knock on the door behind it.

Predictably, there was no response. Sena gave a final half-hearted knock before shouldering his bag again. Well, guess I’ll just have to go back and-

“Oh, Sena! Hi! What are you doing here?” A very, very large figure blocked off the steps leading to the street.

“Uh- Kurita, hi!” Sena deflated in relief. No matter the sinister air of the dilapidation around him, the big man radiated a protective space around him. Sena hopped a few steps closer, trying to calm down.

“It’s nice of you to visit,” Kurita said, nodding. “I’m visiting too, I bought some cake…”

Sena fidgeted. “Um.”

Kurita watched him patiently. “Yes?”

“Is Hiruma in? Takami sent me to ask him… About stuff…”

Kurita nodded understandingly. “Oh, you’re here on business… Well, there’s still cake if you’re free after! And yeah! He’s been working on something all day. I’ll let you in,” he offered, reaching over with a set of keys to unlock the metal grating. “C’mon in!”

“Thanks-“ As he stepped Sena winced, narrowly stopping himself from covering his nose at the smell of energy drinks, unwashed laundry, and shoes. Hiruma’s apartment was never the cleanest even in the best of times, and today, the odor sent a sting of bile up Sena’s throat.

“Hiruma!” Kurita called out, unfazed by the smell. “Are you awake?”

“’Course I am, fuckin’ fatty,” a voice snapped from the darkness, from the direction of the glowing computers in the far corner.

“Sena’s here!” He fumbled along the wall for a moment before switching the lights on. The generators around him hissed at the sudden energy demand, but on the ceiling, the fluorescent panels lit up, revealing the mess around them: old food wrappers, spilled energy drinks, old clothes, piles of gutted electronics, and bags upon bags of disorganized equipment.

“Tch! Don’t do that, you could have crashed the whole thing!” Hiruma snapped, hurriedly examining his computers as the screens flickered.

“Ah, sorry…” Kurita said placatingly.

“Piss off… And what?” Hiruma rose up, his long, lanky legs unfolding underneath him like some sort of insect. “What do you want.”

“Uh… Hi…” Sena said weakly, eyeing the door behind him. Hiruma stalked forward, his usual snicker gone. His angular face was even sharper today, ghoulish in the gray light.

“Whaddayawant.”

“I’ll go put this in the fridge- oh, I’ll make some tea,” Kurita said, disappearing into the next room. There was a crack of electricity, and the fluorescent lights flickered on there as well. “Oh, what a mess…”

Sena gulped. Without Kurita’s calming presence, Hiruma was a great deal more sinister. “Uh…”

“Here on business?”

Sena nodded.

“Ooo, fun.” Hiruma’s lips twitched in fiendish glee, anticipating a game.

“Uh… Yeah…” Sena swallowed. “Just… Uh, how are you doing?”

“Fucked up.”

“Uh.” Sena laughed nervously. “Okay. Uh… I mean, it’s nothing, I don’t know if you know, but I was wondering if-“

“You’re looking a bit uncaffeinated… Long night?” Hiruma interrupted, smirking. He grabbed an e-Vape from where it was charging on the table, switched it on, and took a long huff of it.

Sena laughed uneasily as Hiruma exhaled a sickly-chemical cloud of artificial fruit over him. “Ahaha.. No, just the usual..”

“Long night trying to chase down suspects of the only successful assault on the Secured Grey Facility to date?” Hiruma corrected.

Sena flushed and sighed. Leave it to Hiruma to already know anything and everything. “…Yeah.”

“Oo, what a shame,” he said mockingly. “Well, it sure as hell wasn’t me, so fuck off. I got an alibi. I always got an alibi.”

“Uh- no, oh no, I’m not saying we’re suspecting you- I mean-“ Sena quickly stopped himself to pause and gather his thoughts. “Well, we know who it was, and… We were hoping you could…”

“Could?” Hiruma sniggered.

“…Well, we were just wondering if you knew anything about them.”

For a few minutes, Hiruma exhaled out vapor through his nose, chuckling at something only he found funny. Finally, he spoke again. “I know them.”

“You did- you can take me to meet him?” Sena asked hopefully, fingers digging into the wall behind him.

The notion of it set off another round of vicious cackling from Hiruma. “Eh? Take you to his place?!” he snorted. “That guy… Fuck no, KNIGHT doesn’t have anything valuable enough to me to trade for that information.”

“Well, I mean, maybe not something that big but- you know something about him, right?” Sena added quickly. “Sorry, I know I’m kinda being pushy but we really need anything you can tell us-“

“What do I have to tell you about Eyebrows…” Hiruma shrugged. “Just don’t be his enemy. That’s the best advice I can give you.”

“T-That’s not very helpful!” he protested. “We can’t just let him do anything he wants!”

“Sure you can. Just your bigwigs wouldn't like that. Well, since I’m in a good mood…”

Sena didn’t dare blink as Hiruma took another long drag on his e-vape.

“We call him Kid.”

“What?” Sena tapped his wristband, and a holographic keyboard sprung into the air in front of him. He began typing, not taking his eyes off of Hiruma.

“The sad guy with the cowboy hat. He just came into town a few months ago. Doesn’t like to talk. No drinking, no smoking, and not a lot of fun in the sack either. But he sure can shoot, and he’s fast at it.” Hiruma smirked at Sena’s embarrassed wince. “With guns, gutter shrimp. I mean he’s a marksman.”

“O-Oh! No, I know, I wasn’t thinking-“

“Sure, sure.” Hiruma switched his vape off and tossed it aside, exchanging it for another stick of chewing gum. “I’d call him a smart guy, but he’s honest, so there goes that. His buddy though… The muscle guy. Dumb as half a walnut. Wouldn’t know how to shit himself without the Kid telling him to. He’s got some kind of control over iron. Not sure the extent, not sure how fast he is at it, but you saw what he can do. Not very pretty at it, though… He’s not going to be ripping the atoms out of your hemoglobin anytime soon. Doesn’t that make you feel better?”

Sena nodded as he finished typing.

“And…

“Thanks for-“ Sena paused. “Why are you telling us?”

“Eh heh heh! Because I’m just that generous!” he cackled.

“Ahah.. Hah.. hah…” the boy laughed weakly in relief. “Well, thanks, Hiruma, I guess-“

“Hell no.” Hiruma leaned forward and blew a bubble at him. “Because, fucking shrimp… The Lone Ranger over there’s starting to tread on my boots, if you know what I mean, and you guys are useful to me.” He sat back. “That’s all the scraps I feel like tossing at you. So if you want more, send Glasses Guy here himself. Tell him I’d just love to talk to him about our desperadoes. …If he’s got stuff to pay with, at least.”

“I can’t send-“ Sena protested.

“Naw, he’ll send himself.” Hiruma snickered and waved a hand. “Go tell him that.” He leaned in, his earrings glinting coldly in the light, and gloated, letting his lips stretch out to reveal a mouth full of cruel, needle-sharp teeth. “Oh, I know. KNIGHT’s tied. And I know you’re tied. So don’t think I’ll let you guys on easy, ‘cause-“

“Guys! I made tea!” Kurita exclaimed, thumping back into the room with a tray. “And I found the matching sets! Aren’t they cute?”

Hiruma flinched at the sudden tidal wave of goodwill. “Fuckin’ fatty…”

A plate of tiny butter cookies swooped into Sena’s field of vision, followed by Kurita’s beaming face. “Hiruma works so hard… I thought I’d bring in a snack, but then you showed up, Sena, so I thought- we can have a tea party now! Oh, am I interrupting something?” he asked, looking from Sena’s pale face to Hiruma’s pinched expression.

“No,” Hiruma said stiffly, grabbing a cup of tea and swallowing the burning liquid in one gulp. “Nope.”

 

* * *

 

 Despite the sun, it was a sharp, chilly day in the desert. Throughout the sand, large chunks of metal and plastic, some with their logos and patterns still intact, stood as a graveyard of airplanes and trailers. Out on a spare fringe of barren land, near a certain cluster of structures indistinguishable from the rest of the junk, stood two men, and on closer inspection, a neat little home underneath the awning of an airplane wing.

“Cashed in, job well done, Tetsuma.” Kid leaned back against the cement entrance to the underground garage, watching his best friend working on their usual getaway car the small courtyard in front of it. He unwrapped a Twinkie and took a bite, licking the artificially yellow crumbs off of his fingers.

Tetsuma looked over and nodded, his face satisfied. One hand pressed against the opened hood of the car, as if he were calming an antsy horse. The presence of iron was strong in the car, and it nudged at his mind. Right now, the framework formed by the presence of the iron showed a slight aberration on one of the pushplugs, so he concentrated, reaching out to the gap in the iron-presence, and gently nudged it back to its correct alignment.

Kid popped the last end of the Twinkie into his mouth. “Reckon we can afford to lie low while. Gotta put our pay in a some nice, safe places too, in the meantime.”

Tetsuma nodded, his ears pricked for every word from his friend’s mouth.

“Mm… Well, I guess we can kick back a little, then. Let’s sleep in tomorrow, Tetsuma. Then we can-“ Something in his fingers stirred, seeping out from the core of his marrow: an awareness of his hands being not in front of him, but everywhere at once: between the grains of sand, beneath the sawhorse, and in each splintered crevice of the old gnarled tree. He clenched his fists, but to no avail- the sensation of displacement spread, creeping up his wrists.

“Tetsuma,” he called out urgently, and the other man hurried over. Kid held his arms forward, signaling, and Tetsuma quickly lifted him up by the armpits and pulled him up against his shoulder.

Kid curled his body in close. He closed his eyes, pressed his cheek against Tetsuma’s neck, and inhaled, trying to fill his mind with his friend’s presence: the heat of his skin, the soft musk of his sweat. He closed his eyes, homing in on the steady thump of his friend’s heartbeat. Slowly, the prickling faded away. When he opened his eyes, in the glaring sunlight he counted to himself, ten fingers, two hands, still his own. “Guess I overdid it a little last time.”

Tetsuma responded by whuffing noisily into his ear, still cradling him close.

“Yeah. I’ll be more careful.” He reached up to run his hand through Tetsuma’s short, stiff hair. “I’m okay,” Kid repeated. “I’m okay.” But he didn’t ask to be let go, and Tetsuma made no move to, either.


End file.
